The Wars of Ivory White (Book I: The Protector)

Chapter 48

CHAPTER 48

Tracy, Jonathan, and Gideon followed Lady Anna towards the house's rear exit.   Approaching the glass door that led outside, they could see the beginning of a wall of trees that seemed to climb upward to the sky forever.  But before they could leave, Lady Anna entered a room off from the narrow hall and beckoned everyone inside.  As large as any of the chambers upstairs,  the entire space was lined with rows of coats, mostly  dull colored parkas and thick, long haired furs. 

"Why do we need this. It's almost summer." Tracy commented curiously. 

"Not where we're going." Lady Anna said. "Magic has the power to provide a constant element of icy cold agony. You must keep warm while up there, so choose wisely."

With their gear in hand, the party was led out the rear door to the woods.  About 50  yards beyond the house was a tram. Strung on thick cables that hovered above the evergreen trees, two pale-skinned guards waited on a raised platform to escort them on. Once everyone had boarded, the car jerked forward to begin its steep ascent up the mountain. No one spoke as it smoothly advanced towards the top. A few minutes passed when they were close enough to view the rocky plateau. Tracy could barely make out what looked like glimmering silver cages.  As the car drew closer, some of the structures, apparently containment cells, were empty while others held the frozen bodies of coven prisoners.  Placed yards apart in a circular formation, the center of the ring held a slab of stone with silver manacles and restraints embedded in the rock. Obviously a place of torture for vampires, a rack of surgical instruments, whips, and strange torture devices were displayed on hooks and strewn across a thick stone table. 

The car lurched forward before stopping next to one of the cages. Inside, on the cold ground, Tracy could make out the shape of a human figure. Filthy from head to toe, he was stiffly curled into a fetal position; his face completely obscured by layers of grime and matted black hair. 

"Bring the prisoner forward." Lady Anna said, after commanding the guards to unlock the cage.  Corpse-like in appearance, the man was bone thin and stank profusely. Alarmingly, the color and texture of his skin resembled a purplish leather hide. If it wasn't for the harsh rasp in his breaths, Tracy would have doubted that he was still alive. Once they dragged him into the small car, the smell was so unbearable that it took sheer will power to prevent Tracy from retching and puking. Then she thought about Carla, and how her smell of peppers was easier to ignore when she focused your mind on something else.

"Good gravy!" She thought."  "At this point I'd gladly snort 300 peppers."

"How can you allow this?" Tracy asked, her voice tone betraying the horrific scene.

"This is a prison for the deserving." Lady Anna said sternly.

"How could anyone deserve this kind of punishment?" Tracy demanded.

Lady Anna was silent for a moment. "I feel that in time you will understand." She said calmly.

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Upon returning from off the mountain, they all stayed in the house for another night.  After thawing out, Isiah was bathed and fed, receiving a ration of blood nourishment for his recuperation. Cade was no where to be seen, but Lady Anna assured them that he would be packed and ready to go by morning. That evening, after dinner, Tracy needed to be alone, and took a walk in the moon lit garden of the sprawling estate. As she strolled along the grounds, the gentle breeze lifted the cloying scent of blooming wild flowers that teased her tempered senses. At the far end of the garden, she found a gazebo at the water's edge of a small pond.  Flanked by a large stone bench that was partially hidden underneath the drooping branches of a Japanese maple, she decided to sit there and rest.   It was an enchanting moment, the twinkling of the light off the rippling waters. Partially hidden by the tree's thick burgundy leaves, the moonlight managed to cast her quiet form in the shadows.

Minutes later, the peace was disrupted when Lady Anna suddenly appeared,  rushing into the gazebo. Before Tracy could call to greet her, Cade's tall form immediately followed. Reaching for her delicate body, he held her passionately from the rear.  Then he spun her around to tightly grab her shoulders.  Worried, Tracy wanted to intervene.  Instead, curiosity drove her to unintentionally eavesdrop.

"Tell me why?!" he demanded harshly.

"This will never work!" She said, her normally cold and contained speech now heavy with raw emotion.

"You're afraid of us." Cade said accusingly.

"We will be ridiculed and mocked. I've had to overcome too much to gain the position and respect that I have here. I will not throw it away, not even for you." she said with cold anguish.

"But you are my Eternal One." Cade said sadly, "I can never have another."

Lady Anna turned away.  From where she sat Tracy could see the tears running down her pale cheeks. The expressions of heartbreak and despair had caused a lump to form in Tracy's throat. Cade pulled Lady Anna to his chest and kissed her passionately. Tracy had to look away; not wanting to intrude on such a pure and intimate moment.

"What we have is rare. Very few vampires find their eternal ones.  I found you against all the odds. Please don't turn me away." He begged.

"I have to."  She said sadly. "I was a 38 year old childless widow when I was turned by a sadistic Primogenitor for his selfish pleasure." The pain in Lady Anna's voice spoke to her in a way that words never could. "You were merely a 20 year old boy who was changed by the same man. We're eighteen years apart.  You're young enough to be my son. We're of the same Primogenitor which makes us siblings. In our world, especially since Lord Parrish..."

"That asshole has NOTHING on us now!" Cade interrupted venomously. "He's dead now. And can never touch you or I again. We're free from his sadistic torture." Lady Anna disagreeably shook her head. "Our relationship is too taboo.  We would not be accepted or welcomed anywhere."

"You're wrong!" Tracy said impulsively, not realizing she had spoken out. Lady Anna and Cade stood there in surprise, their eyes blazing with fury and fear. Tracy knew instinctively that in such a stressful moment, they could possibly want to kill her to protect their privacy. It made her wonder briefly if Lord Parrish's untimely demise was by fate or design. But that was neither here nor there.  From the sound of it, she doubted that he was missed very much.

Making no sudden moves, Tracy spoke gently, as though to a crying baby. "You will always be welcomed with us." She said carefully.

Lady Anna and Cade heard the soothing words of her voice. When they saw the sincerity and acceptance in Tracy's eyes,  both of them broke down and wept.